The last time I saw Metallica was at Soundwave in 2013… so now here we are back at Olympic Park to see them again, and after twelve years to see if they are still that good. I’m going to go with yes, more than likely a resounding yes. Before we get to the main event we have a couple of special guests that will warm us up, namely Suicidal Tendencies, and Evanescence. So today we are in for a treat.
Suicidal Tendencies kick things off with a bang and ‘You Can’t Bring Me Down’ and the energy is off the hook. They sound amazing and this band is massive so if they sound this good I can’t wait to hear the next two bands! ‘Join The Army’ is next and keeps things chugging along nicely! Mike welcomes us to the church of Suicidal, with ‘Send Me Your Money’ and some insane bass work from Tye they smash this one, as the “S T” chants start. After this they stop for a second to regroup before ‘Subliminal’ including a mini circle pit which was awesome. Next up is the bands newest song, ‘Adrenaline Addict’ featuring Nisha STar and it was short, sharp and kicked ass. ‘Cyco Vision’ was another burst of intensity and chunks along with this kick ass band doing the work. Mike gets down in the crowd and he is having a ball. We all pledge our allegiance and with that they are done. That was my first time seeing Suicidal and that was an experience!
Evanescence it’s been hours since I’ve seen them, but tonight in the stadium is a completely different vibe. Case and point, ‘Afterlife’ showcases immediately how well these songs belong in a stadium. ‘Made of Stone’ gets the crowd going but as ‘Going Under’ starts you can hear the crowd recognition and that was huge. ‘Take Cover’ is just as big and loud, but Will Hunt’s drum kit sounds massive as he beats in ‘The Game is Over’ and the soaring vocals are amazing. As Amy sits down at a grand piano, she starts ‘Lithium’ and this big tune sounds amazing. Staying at the piano her voice rings around the stadium as she starts ‘Wasted on You’ which was huge, but we speed things up with ‘Better Without You’ followed by ‘Call Me When You’re Sober’ and this is heavy tonight! Wow. That was the biggest of the night so far. ‘Imaginary’ haunts the stadium a little before Amy addresses the crowd before ‘Use Your Voice’ which was massive. Making her way to the front of the catwalk, Amy starts ‘End of the Dream’ as the band join her to smash this one out. With a couple to go, after a big thank you to us all, first up is ‘My Immortal’ with Amy on the piano and watching the stadium start to light up with phones is pretty awesome. Actually it’s spectacular. Here comes the band and they finish this loudly! The first notes of ‘Bring Me To Life’ hit and the cheer was huge. What a song and what way to hear it. This is an absolute stadium song and perfectly performed tonight. You could feel the energy which is proof of how much they belonged on this bill tonight and how much they impressed. Well played, Evanescence, see you soon I’d be guessing.
And here we go, it’s time for Metallica!! If there was a roof on the place it would’ve just been blown off and that was just because lights went down. As AC/DC’s ‘Long Way To The Top’ plays we are ready. An amazing video intro with ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ playing as the band casually walks on and start ‘Creeping Death’ and this is heavy!!!! This is what we want. As the crowd cheers “DIE!” it looks magnificent and that’s how you start a show. Oh my god, as ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ start the place went wild. Honestly this is a happy place as this is therapy. This is perfection. Kirk shreds a little for us before ‘Fuel’ burns the place up. Those flames are insane!! What a song!! James addresses us and there’s so much love here tonight. We get an unexpected one from Death Magnetic with ‘Cyanide’ and I forgot how good this song was. Yes!!!! To the Black Album for I’m sure not the last time tonight with ‘The Unforgiven’ as the intro starts we get excited and that acoustic throughout is just so good. I’ve always loved this song as the versus are the heavy part and chorus the slower. Just perfection. Kirk nailed that solo on a Les Paul too, hell yes. 15 year old Troy is very happy as when that album came out it was massive so to hear songs from it live is like a Time Machine.
They stop finally for a second before ‘Wherever I May Roam’ begins and that riff!! Every time. God that was just so good. Best song of the night so far, that was amazing (see… Black album again!!) James and Lars take a break leaving Kirk and Robert on stage to jam, starting with some Acca Dacca and ‘For Those About to Rock’ and then some Rose Tattoo with ‘Nice Boys Don’t Play Rock and Roll’. A fun little interlude but I would’ve loved an extra Metallica track in there.
OK everyone is back and ‘The Day That Never Comes’ intro is hauntingly heavy and this is going to be great. It slows things down and lets them showcase this one nicely and some amazing harmony guitar soloing is perfect here. Special mention to James not knowing what album that was from was hilarious. ‘Moth Into Flame’ from Hardwired is heavy and an excellent live addition to the set. More flames makes this one extra hot! Such a sucker for flames and pyro!
Up next is my favourite Metallica song. It’s ’Sad But True’ and I’m just gonna enjoy this one. Back after. OK I’m back and that was outstanding and when James asked if we wanted heavy, we got it. What a treat hearing that live again. As they leave Kirk on stage he sets up ‘Nothing Else Matters’ and all the phones come up. Hilariously we just went from the bands most heavy song to their least. The place is lit up and it’s nice to have a breather for a few minutes. James even takes the solo on this one, nice.
Time to get thrashy as we go way back with ‘Seek and Destroy’ and as the beach balls come out and we get to shout “ALRIGHT!” back at the stage and we’re happy. They shred through this one, and just shows that 42 years on just how good a song it is. From the oldest the newest we get ‘Lux Æterna’ as Lars has a second kit set up on the catwalk. Good to get some love for the new album. That was awesome. Reminds me I need to listen to it more.
Oh it’s time for ‘Master of Puppets’ and whether you became a Metallica fan because of this song on Stranger Things, or you’ve been there for decades, tonight this song has brought everyone together and that’s what metal is all about. Getting to shout “MASTER” is always a treat too. Damn this band is that good. The guitar work is top notch. What an epic song, can’t believe it’s 40 next year. The band leave the stage for a rest as the intro plays for what we all know is next.
It’s of course ‘One’ and what a beginning. I still remember this being my introduction to Metallica and the video scared the shit out of me. Hearing everyone yell this song back to the stage was something else too, they absolutely nailed it. Then with one more to go, ‘Enter Sandman’ had everyone on their feet. I feel like this was the only way to close the show and they smashed it out of the park. Again, that 15 year old kid that loved this song was transported back to 1991 and couldn’t be happier. After an amazing ending they stay on stage to throw out a bazillion guitar picks, and with a heartfelt thank you, the show and the Australian tour is done.
There aren’t many better that are still doing this, and Metallica now 44 years on as a band are in my opinion only getting better. That was the therapy everyone needed tonight, and Metallica you can’t send us the bill because we all prepaid. 5 star review though, would recommend.
Essential Information
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Date: November 15, 2025
Presented by: Live Nation Australia
Website: http://www.metallica.com
Metallica Set List:
Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Fuel
Cyanide
The Unforgiven
Wherever I May Roam
Kirk and Rob Doodle
The Day That Never Comes
Moth Into Flame
Sad but True
Nothing Else Matters
Seek & Destroy
Lux Æterna
Master of Puppets
One
Enter Sandman
Evanescence Set List:
Afterlife
Made of Stone
Going Under
Take Cover
The Game Is Over
Lithium
Wasted on You
Better Without You
Call Me When You’re Sober
Imaginary
Use My Voice
End of the Dream
My Immortal
Bring Me to Life
Suicidal Tendencies Set List:
You Can’t Bring Me Down
Join the Army
Send Me Your Money
Subliminal
Adrenaline Addict
Cyco Vision
Pledge Your Allegiance
